Remember November 2025? For Toronto Raptors fans, it was a golden month of basketball that put the entire NBA on notice. After stumbling out of the gates with a sluggish 2-4 record in October, Darko Rajakovic’s squad caught fire, ripping off a staggering 12-3 record and an 80.0% winning percentage. That unforgettable stretch featured a nine-game win streak that silenced the doubters and turned a team with modest pre-season expectations into one of the league’s most exciting stories.
Fast forward to the release of the 2026-27 NBA schedule, and the reality check is setting in. If the Raptors want to recreate that magical November magic this season, they are going to have to earn every single win through a bloodbath of a calendar.
The Brutal November Schedule: No Easy Nights
The upcoming November slate features 14 games—eight at home and six on the road—and it wastes absolutely zero time testing Toronto’s mettle.
The month kicks off with a treacherous three-game West Coast road trip featuring dates with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Denver Nuggets. From there, the schedule refuses to catch its breath, throwing matchups against the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, and a grueling back-to-back set against the reigning champion New York Knicks.
Let’s not forget the NBA Cup, where Toronto enters as a team with a target on its back. Last year, the Raptors went a pristine 4-0 in group play before making their push into the knockout rounds. This year, their group play path includes early tests against the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by battles with the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.
While teams like the Bucks, Grizzlies, and Nets are in various stages of retooling or rebuilding—making them potential targets for the Raptors to rack up wins—the heavy hitters are a completely different animal.
The Ultimate Test: Facing the Elite
Last November, the Raptors’ only losses came against elite or tricky competition (Philly, Charlotte, and New York). This year, those tricky matchups are doubled, and the elite teams are gunning for them.
- The Knicks Back-to-Back: Playing the defending champions twice in a row is the ultimate litmus test. It will reveal whether Toronto has truly bridged the gap to the NBA’s upper echelon.
- The Philadelphia Rivalry: The Sixers loom large as a heated rival. Even a single November meeting against a stacked Philadelphia roster could be a psychological preview of a potential playoff series.
- The Wildcards: Western powerhouses like the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets, combined with Eastern competitors like Boston and Detroit, ensure that there are no nights off.
The Elephant in the Room: The Kawhi Leonard Situation
While the schedule is daunting enough on paper, the biggest X-factor hanging over Toronto’s head is completely out of the team’s control: the Kawhi Leonard situation.
The ongoing trade hold-up and investigation surrounding Kawhi’s status cast a massive shadow over the early months of the season. If Kawhi ends up sidelined or suspended for a significant chunk of the year, the Raptors will have to lean entirely on their existing core. While that core proved resilient last season, surviving a gauntlet like November without your superstar’s ceiling-raising talent is a completely different challenge.
Can the Raptors Defy the Odds Again?
No one expected the Raptors to rattle off a 12-3 record last November, and no one is expecting them to breeze through this year’s schedule either. But that is exactly where this team thrives. They love playing the role of the underdog, and Darko Rajakovic’s unselfish, high-energy system is built to shock complacent opponents.
If Toronto can survive this treacherous 14-game November gauntlet with a positive record—and if the front office gets some clarity on the Kawhi Leonard saga—it will send a thunderous message to the rest of the league. The road to another breakthrough won’t be easy, but if the Raptors pull it off, the basketball world won’t just take notice—they’ll know Toronto has arrived as a legitimate powerhouse. Buckle up, Raptors Nation; November is coming in hot.
